Secretary of State John Kerry took his case on Wednesday to Capitol Hill , urging Congress not to impose new sanctions on Iran as talks with that country on its nuclear program heat up .

`` Our hope is that no new sanctions would be put in place for the simple reason that , if they are , it could be viewed as bad faith by the people we are negotiating with , '' Kerry said before entering a closed-door briefing with members of the Senate Banking , Housing and Urban Affairs Committee .

`` It could destroy the ability to be able to get agreement , '' he added , `` and it could actually wind up setting us back in dialogue that 's taken 30 years to achieve . ''

There 's likely to be push-back to the diplomat 's move , as several in Congress who still do n't trust Iran 's leaders have said they want fresh sanctions to keep up the pressure .

Among them is Sen. Lindsey Graham , a South Carolina Republican , who told CNN 's `` State of the Union '' program on Sunday he would not wait for the next round of negotiations .

A member of the Foreign Relations Committee , Graham said he intends to propose a measure that would mandate more sanctions , aimed at forcing Iran to dismantle its nuclear program , a move that runs counter to interim steps sought by multinational negotiators earlier this month in Geneva , Switzerland .

Those three days of intense discussions involving top diplomats concluded early Sunday without an agreement , though numerous key players indicated things were moving forward .

`` A lot of concrete progress has been achieved , but some differences remain , '' European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters in Geneva .

Added Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif : `` I think we are all on the same wavelength , and that 's important . And that gives us the impetus to go forward . ''

The next day , Tehran signed a deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency agreeing to give the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency 's inspectors access to long-unseen nuclear sites , including a heavy-water reactor in Arak .

Yet more sanctions , not fewer , remain a consideration in Washington . Sanctions have long been a tool for the United States , in coordination with other nations , to clamp down on Iran and compel it not to move toward developing nuclear weapons .

Kerry noted that , when he was a senator representing Massachusetts , he played a part in putting such `` sanctions in place in order to be able to negotiate . ''

While such measures have managed to hamper Iran 's economy and its ability to profit from crude oil exports , they are not the goal , Kerry said . That goal , rather , is to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons , something that could continue to happen even if there are no talks and no agreement .

The framework for the current deal `` will restrict Iran 's ability to grow its program '' and set the stage for `` six months of negotiations on the real tough part of this , '' according to Kerry . If Tehran defies any deal , sanctions can be ramped up again , he said .

`` The fact is , we did n't put sanctions in place for the sake of sanctions , '' Kerry said . `` We did it to be able to negotiate . ''

Sen. Tim Johnson , a South Dakota Democrat and chairman of the Senate Banking Committee , wo n't decide whether he 'll go forward with a proposal for more sanctions until after Wednesday 's briefing and talks with his colleagues , a committee aide said .

While Johnson 's views after the meeting broke were n't immediately known , several Republicans on the committee did speak .

Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska left saying he is `` willing to be patient '' and is somewhat heartened by the fact that as long as `` people are talking , there is hope for progress . '' The GOP 's ranking member , Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho , said he still needs `` to hear more , I 'm not ready to make a decision . ''

Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee described the briefing as `` solely an emotional appeal '' that was `` very unsatisfying . ''

Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois accused President Barack Obama 's administration of appeasing Iran like Britain did Nazi Germany in the 1930s . Kirk pushed for strong sanctions .

`` I think today is the day in which I witnessed a future of nuclear war in the Middle East in the future -LRB- that -RRB- someday will be part of our children 's heritage , '' Kirk said .

The Banking Committee was n't Kerry 's only stop Wednesday . He -- along with Vice President Joe Biden , chief negotiator Wendy Sherman and David Cohen , under secretary for terrorism and financial Intelligence at the Treasury Department -- also briefed Senate Democratic leaders Wednesday on the Iran nuclear talks .

Sherman and Cohen also attended the Banking Committee briefing , but Biden did not .

After detailing these two meetings , White House spokesman Jay Carney addressed what the United States should do regarding Iran during Wednesday 's press briefing . `` Punishing '' sanctions `` forced Iran to the negotiating table , '' he said . Now that they are there , legislators should be mindful of what they 're doing if they are doing things that might undermine those negotiations .

`` If not at least testing the hypothesis that Iran is serious about resolving this diplomatically , then what option do we have left ? '' Carney asked rhetorically . `` And those who take that position ought to be clear that they , in essence , are suggesting that war is the only alternative . ''

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1 GOP senator will be `` patient ; '' another accuses White House of appeasement

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Carney : If you wo n't support talks , then you support war as only option

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Kerry says new sanctions `` could be viewed as bad faith '' by Iran

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Congressman say they may propose new Iran sanctions as nuclear talks continue